Monday's Cabinet meeting will be 'informative,' says Tarek Mitri

Monday’s Cabinet session, dedicated to the restoration of the state’s monopoly over weapons and during which the government will review the Lebanese Army’s first report on the process of disarming militias established on national territory, including Hezbollah, will be "informative," Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri said in a statement to Al-Jadeed TV channel.

"If the army’s work has not progressed sufficiently, we will ask its commander about the reasons. The session will be dedicated to information and evaluation," he specified, before addressing other matters to be discussed during this critical session, at which the presence of Shiite ministers is not guaranteed. One of them, Labor Minister Mohammad Haidar, has already confirmed his absence, saying he is "not in Lebanon."

Since a two-stage decision was made in early August and adjusted in early September, the government has solidified the restoration of the state monopoly on weapons and tasked the army with drawing up and implementing a disarmament plan. Hezbollah, which accepted a cease-fire with Israel at the end of November 2024 that ended 13 months of fighting, refuses to hand over its weapons, at least as long as the Israeli army still occupies six strategic points and continues near-daily strikes on the country.

No escalation

It is in this context that the government is expected to hear from army commander General Rodolph Haykal, who is supposed to provide an initial report on the actions of the military institution regarding the monopoly on arms.

This issue will not be the only hot topic at the Cabinet meeting, which must also address the consequences of the unauthorized illumination of the Raouche Pigeon Rock in Beirut by Hezbollah supporters on Sept. 25. The ministers are to review the measures taken by the public prosecutor in this case and study the possibility of revoking the authorization held by the Rissalat association, an NGO linked to Hezbollah that organized the lighting. Speaking on the subject, Mitri said that "what happened at the Raouche Rock was contrary to what had been authorized," stressing that the Cabinet meeting agreed to take the necessary measures to uphold state authority.

Environment Minister Tamara Zein indicated in a TV interview that "there is a willingness to review all associations, whether environmental, artistic or political, reorganizing their operation according to Lebanese law without infringing on freedoms, as in all countries." "There will be no tendency to escalate during Monday's session, but rather a serious debate without harming any party, including Prime Minister Nawaf Salam," she added.

During the commemoration last week at Raouche of the assassination of former Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah and his brief successor Hashem Safieddine, the party projected the image of its former leader as well as his iconic raised finger gesture, repeatedly used as a sign of defiance or threat.

On Sept. 22, the prime minister issued an unprecedented circular calling for "the enforcement of the law concerning the unauthorized use of public terrestrial and maritime property, as well as heritage and tourist sites, public buildings and places with strong national symbolism." He asserted last week that the Raouche affair was not over.